Crystal lights above the Upper Levels begin to dim, signifying evening inside Titania.
Ryuu drags himself inside from the training yard and feels his muscles beginning to ache.
He had dedicated the afternoon to polishing up his [Magic Cannon], as well as making sure his aura techniques continue improving.
His {Recovery} has grown exceptionally fast, catching up to the rest of his techniques in proficiency over the past few battles.
A quick whiff of himself makes him frown, still longing for the bath in his old room.
Then, a voice from down the main hall barely reaches his ear.
“-ade… …Blade… Dragon Blade!”
“Huh?”
He glances over and finds Lady Evelyn, who stands shining with a healthy glow.
“Hahaha! I’ve just awoken from my long slumber! I had a small break for lunch earlier, but otherwise, I’ve been sleeping since we returned!”
Are you bragging?
What kind of duchess is this?
“W-wow… You’re very…disciplined?”
She smiles and forcefully pats him on the shoulder.
“Oh, why thank you, Dragon Blade! Come along now–supper is just about ready!”
Finally, something to eat!
Ryuu is pulled along by Lady Evelyn to the dining hall he spotted when they first arrived.
A wide selection of entrees line the table in the center of the area, while a few people are waiting beside their seats, including Sherry and a worn-out Lucian.
Upon getting a closer look, Ryuu also recognizes the third person joining them.
“Isaac, you’re here too?”
“Yeah… Is that odd?”
Lady Evelyn quickly moves to her own seat and plops down before prompting the others to follow suit.
Ryuu picks the spot next to Lucian, across from Isaac and Sherry, while Lady Evelyn sits at the head.
She hums for a moment while Lucian begins preparing her plate, then looks at Ryuu.
“Has everything been up to your standards?”
“Yes. I was particularly impressed by your library.”
“I thought you might like it. We’ve managed to amass quite the collection over the years. If there’s anything you need, simply let Lucian know.”
Lucian’s brow twitches for a second, then he nods his head.
I couldn’t possibly put more on his plate.
Besides, I plan on using a lot of my time to watch for the Eternal Order.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Lady Evelyn. I’ll be sure to work my hardest to properly show my gratitude.”
A small smile forms beneath her veil in response.
Lucian sets a plate of food in front of her, then signals for the rest to go ahead.
The others begin piling goodies onto their plates, but Ryuu has a different goal in mind.
I wasn’t able to properly confirm during the carriage ride, but does she seriously keep that veil on while eating?
What could she be trying to hide?
A fork guides a thin slice of meat under the lady’s veil, then disappears.
Ryuu never catches so much as a glimpse of a face beneath, other than the bottom of her chin.
After avoiding a dangerous glare from Lucian, he gathers his own food and digs in.
The first bite reminds him of the hunger that’s been nagging him, then he finishes five servings before finally calming down.
In the meantime, Sherry calmly munches on her second helping, while Isaac pokes at his same plate, watching Ryuu with a bemused stare.
“Haahhh… That was good.”
The Blade’s remark signals the end of the meal, and everyone slowly rises from the table.
“Well, I have more work to attend to,” Lucian states matter-of-factly.
“Come, my lady. It’s time for your nightly checks.”
“Yes yes. Don’t stay up too late, you three!”
Lady Evelyn and Lucian head for the residential wing toward the back of the palace, leaving the three younger adults to themselves.
“Ugh… I’m tired…” Isaac groans, still in his chair.
Ryuu and Sherry glance at each other and nod, conveying a silent message.
“The night is still young, Mister Isaac! There’s plenty to do in Titania!”
“That’s right! Don’t tell me my wise senior won’t show me the best spots around on my first night here?!”
They continue to pester him until he eventually moans, “Fine!” and jumps out of his chair.
The three of them soon mosey out of the Mystic Palace and step into the magic elevators of the Palace Floor.
Upon reaching one of the regular floors within the Upper Levels, Sherry moves to a nearby hub and waves for a ride.
A large magenta bus with multiple levels cruises up to them, strobe lights and talking people visible from a distance.
A buff man in a crop top lined with jewels leans out of the driver seat.
“Where to?!”
Ryuu is taken aback by the sudden burst of feel-good energy.
The man grins and shows off shining golden teeth, then waves them all inside.
“Ah, what the hell! I’ll take ya guys wherever ya wanna go! Hop in!”
Sherry bows and steps inside, then steps back out and forces Isaac inside.
Heh, this place really is interesting.
Ryuu steps in after them, then the bus peels off through the air.
Once inside, blaring noise hits the group on all sides.
It’s not unpleasant–rather the opposite–but unlike anything Ryuu’s heard before.
“What is this?! It’s getting me pumped up!”
“It’s a special magic item that only hit the markets recently!” Sherry shouts.
“Small crystals act as storage for sounds, then replay them when infused with mana! In settings like this, it’s used to play music!”
“Music?! I heard some of that being played around the castle, but it was a little different than this!”
Sherry laughs, but Ryuu can only tell because of the way her shoulders shake.
“The music at Mahora Castle is a bit more classical than you’ll hear on public transportation!”
“Ohhh! Yeah, that makes sense!”
Whatever that means.
Isaac bumps into Ryuu’s chest while holding his ears, as if his head might explode if this lasts any longer.
He mouths words to the Blade, but his voice has no chance of being heard in this environment.
“Hey, Sherry! I think Isaac might die if we stay here much longer! Let’s get off as soon as possible!”
She raises a thumbs up while moving her head from side to side in a steady rhythm.
The bus soon slows to a stop outside of a well-lit plaza and lets off a large group of passengers.
Ryuu and Sherry carry Isaac out by his arms, then lead him to a nearby bench where he can regain his bearings.
“Ugghhh… My ears… My eyes…”
He curls into the fetal position and rocks on the bench, still covering his ears with his hands.
“Poor guy… It seems he’s weak to loud noises.”
“Hmph, he’ll get used to it. It’s not like all magic is quiet. This is a hurdle he must overcome as a M’yin!”
Sherry nods as if Ryuu just made a brilliant statement, then Isaac sits up with a groan.
“I’d rather keep moving if staying here means listening to that… Let’s just go somewhere nearby.”
The other two enthusiastically lead the way around a nearby wall and step foot into the Entertainment Floor of the Middle Levels.
“Wow, the Entertainment Floor!” Sherry exclaims.
“I never have time to come here because of my work! This is all thanks to you, Sir Ryuu!”
“It’s awfully bright. What is there to do around here?”
“Anything’s fine… Can we just hurry?”
Isaac’s whining motivates them into picking the nearest building: a worn-down tavern on the corner, sporting a rotting foundation and some boarded-up windows.
“Um…on second thought…”
“I-I agree…”
Isaac and Sherry slowly back away from the tavern, but Ryuu spots a couple of people drinking inside and grabs his companions by their arms.
“Don’t be scared! This place looks like a good choice to me!”
He pulls them across the street and through the saloon-style doors of the tavern.
The inside is lit by half-melted candles and small clusters of dim crystals.
Ryuu carefully runs his gaze around the room, then smiles, making a show of getting to his seat.
“There’s an open spot, you guys! Let’s get wasted!”
“Huh? Sir Ry-!”
He pulls them to a table near the entrance, sitting so that nobody is behind him.
He firmly squeezes their arms before releasing his grip, then slightly tilts his head toward the bar.
Isaac follows his sign and sees two cloaked figures sipping out of short glasses.
They speak in low whispers, leaving nothing distinguishable between their voices or attire, except for a single marking on their shoulders.
Ryuu taps his own shoulder and draws a symbol, a circle with a line through it, then nods at them again.
A soft gasp escapes Sherry’s lips, which she quickly covers with her hands.
She leans in close to Ryuu’s ear and whispers, “I-isn’t that the symbol Sir Lucian showed us?”
He nods and raises a finger to his lips, listening to their conversation as closely as possible.
“…palace…Talent…duchess…”
Damn.
I can’t make out everything they’re saying, but it sounds pretty important.
Isaac cups a hand around his ear and closes his eyes, then opens them again after a few moments.
His eyes widen as he urgently tugs on Ryuu’s sleeve.
“Run!”
The tavern doors burst off their hinges the moment Isaac shouts.
A muscular man in a leather jacket, with dark sunglasses over his face, steps inside and slowly scans the area.
His gaze stops over the three of them, then he bares his crooked teeth in a wide grin.
“So it is here! Good work boys, ya did a good job reportin’ this!”
The two cloaked figures at the bar turn around, revealing some sort of spherical communication device inside of their sleeves.
They then stand and press the group in a pincer formation with the muscular man.
“Now be good for us and stay still. I don’t want to hurt ya any more than I have to.”
His widening grin suggests otherwise.
It’s a look Ryuu is all too familiar with due to his life in the Pit of Keld.
Bloodlust!
Ryuu immediately flips their table toward the man, then grabs his friends’ arms.
“Get the hell out of here!”
He leaps through the air and kicks a hole through the front of the tavern, landing on the street outside with the others in tow.
“After them!” rings out from the tavern, causing the three of them to run off at top speed.
“W-w-w-what’s going on?!” Sherry stammers.
“Why are they after us?!”
“I can think of a few reasons! What matters is informing Lucian before-”
Shink!
A knife lands in the ground just in front of Ryuu.
He turns to see two figures closing in on them from opposite rooftops.
“No way out, huh?” the Blade observes.
“It looks like we’re fighting, you two.”
“Nononono… I don’t want to fight…”
“I’ll do my best to keep you safe, Mister Isaac!”
The figures stop directly above them and discard their cloaks, revealing heavy greatswords strapped across their backs.
They descend without a noise, unwrapping the swords in an instant and slashing downward from two directions.
“”[Barrier]!””
A golden dragon scale and pale green wall repel the attacks, but shatter as the assailants land.
“What?! My [Barrier]…”
Sherry bites her thumb, while Ryuu sizes the two men up.
Their bodies are clad in a thin aura, but their weapons glow with immense power.
A’yang… I guess if I think about it, that’s probably the most effective kind of task force to send to an obviously M’yin-heavy city like this.
From the looks of it, these guys are stronger than the one from my Blade exam.
Can I protect these two..?
He glances over his shoulder at Sherry and Isaac, then feels a cold spot on his neck.
“[Piercing Claws]!”
SMASH!
One of the men’s greatswords crashes into Ryuu’s arm, barely saved by his magic gauntlet.
He immediately flies through the air and into the wall of a nearby store.
The wall crumbles around him as he falls to the street, rubbing his numbed arm.
“Sir Ryuu!”
He looks up to see Sherry holding off the second man with another barrier, but the first sword-wielder has already recovered from his attack.
They bring their sword back as they aim for the maid, then tense their muscles.
“No!”
Ryuu pushes off of the ground in an explosion of aura and slams his shoulder into the man’s ribcage from the side.
The force sends their sword spiraling out of their grip as they trip and roll several yards.
“I’ll take care of this one! You two handle-”
“I’m afraid not, kid.”
A voice comes from right behind Ryuu, who whips around with a high kick, but nobody’s there.
The presence reappears behind him again and he leaps away, finding the muscular man from before.
“Hahahaha! You kids have guts, but this is the end of the line.”
“…Who are you calling a kid?”
The man cranes his neck at Isaac’s words, then grins and fully turns toward him.
“Oh, am I wrong?”
He steps closer to Isaac, peering over the boy in an attempt at intimidation.
“Show me what ya got then, brat.”
Isaac narrows his eyes and opens his mouth to chant, then gasps as a fist is buried into his gut.
He collapses, hugging his waist and coughing uncontrollably.
Hmph!
If ya aren’t capable of silently casting, then don’t try me!”
The man turns to see Ryuu glaring at him.
“[Draconic Presence]!”
Ryuu’s voice distorts inside the attackers’ heads, sending the two sword-wielders into shock.
The muscular man loses control of his body for a moment, then slaps himself awake.
Unfortunately for him, it’s all the time the Blade needs.
“[Piercing Claws]! {In-step}!”
He quickly appears behind the man struggling with Sherry’s barrier, destroying his heart in a single thrust.
Immediately after, he vanishes once more and reappears behind the second sword-wielder, splitting his head into five parts with a swipe.
They fall to the ground without making a peep as Ryuu lets out a sharp breath.
“Get to the palace, you two! Tell Lucian the situation if it’s the last thing you do!”
Isaac nods as he forces himself up and pulls Sherry along, who glances at Ryuu one last time before matching Isaac’s pace.
Good.
Thankfully there are no citizens around right now, because this spiky-haired bastard is definitely different from the rest.
Those two would’ve gotten hurt.
“Ah, shit. I wasn’t supposed to let them get away… How do ya expect me to explain this one, ya damn brat?”
“Give me some names and I may have a few suggestions, Eternal Order.”
“Haha, so ya know that much. Then ya know I can’t do that.”
The man smirks and removes his glasses, revealing glistening red eyes.
They’re different from Ilene’s gem-like irises, instead giving the appearance of blood pooling behind his pupils.
“Though, if it’s a name ya want, you can have mine. Everyone calls me Garth. Nice to meet ya.”
“That’s a start, but I’d like to know what your purpose is here. Why are you going so far to capture me?”
“Hm? I don’t know who ya think ya are, but our purpose here has nothin’ to do with ya. Although, I am a bit curious why ya know the name of our organization.”
“What? Then-”
“I’ve spoken too much. I’ve gotta hurry and catch up to the ones that got away.”
He bends his knees to take off, but Ryuu appears next to him and grabs his arm.
“Not on my watch.”
Garth smirks and flexes, summoning forth a violent torrent of aura.
It forces Ryuu to let go, then leaves him open for a backfist to the mouth.
He sees stars appear in the corner of his eyes before feeling a tug on his chest.
He’s then pulled forward by the front of his jacket and clotheslined with enough force that he flips onto his stomach.
“Gah!”
The air rushes from his lungs as he hits the ground, groaning and pushing onto his knees.
Garth watches him for a moment, then raises a boot to finish things.
“{Charge Point}”
A dense aura forms around the man’s boot as he brings it down over Ryuu, then he feels a sudden change in pressure.
“[Magic Cannon]!”
Golden light washes over Garth’s leg and lifts him high above the rooftops.
He flips over and over, before eventually landing on a nearby building, then glances at his right foot.
The boot has been completely erased, leaving behind a charred foot with bone peeking out in several areas.
“Are ya fuckin’ kiddin’ me?! Where did that come from?!”
Ryuu pants as he pushes himself up to his feet on the street below.
This guy’s bad news!
Can I handle him after using so much energy on today’s training?!
“Good luck chasing them on that foot!” he shouts.
Garth scowls, then breaks into another wide grin.
“You bastard, ya ruined my new boots!”
Aura wisps around his ankle, which Ryuu instantly recognizes.
Recovery technique, what a pain.
I can’t say I didn’t expect it though…
The muscular man finishes healing and begins charging up aura, flexing his arms as he does.
“First, ya screw up my job, then ya destroy my boot. I’ve gotta take out this frustration on somebody!”
He suddenly pushes off of the roof and sends chunks of it crumbling to the ground as his hand closes around Ryuu’s face.
A silent In-step technique?!
No, this is-!
Ryuu’s thoughts are cut off as the man hurls him through the air.
He rockets above the Entertainment Floor and all the way to the gap between floors on the Middle Levels, threatening a drop of a few thousand feet.
He manages to cast [Barrier] to stop his momentum, but slams off of it and crashes into a busy market square below.
People around him yell out and stop in place, confused by the sudden interruption.
That wasn’t an aura technique, he’s just that strong!
His normal movements are as fast as, no, faster than my {In-step}!
Ryuu struggles to his feet while widening his senses.
He can feel Garth’s presence closing in on him, and so he decides to make use of the surrounding crowd.
The white-haired man slips into a nearby venue and dulls his aura, hiding his energy signature from his opponent.
Moments later, a woman’s shrill scream echoes through the streets, and a loud crash vibrates the ground.
“Where is he?! Where is that tanned brat?!”
“I-I don’t know!”
“AHH! LET HIM GO!”
He hyperventilates from behind the metal shutters of his refuge: a closed flower shop.
The sounds of people being picked up and thrown rings through his ears, causing his heart to beat uncontrollably.
What am I doing?!
I’m letting people get hurt because of my actions all over again!
He punches his shaking legs, but it doesn’t stop the fear creeping into his chest.
Why did I hide like this?
Am I scared?
Me?
..No, of course I am.
It was like this against Morrell too…
His body goes slack as he slumps against the shutters behind him.
The light in his eye begins to fade as his breath slows, and the sounds outside start to fade away.
It seems I can’t change who I am.
I don’t have the willpower to face this kind of opponent alone.
Snippets of memories flash through his mind all at once: Drax’s body being split by flames, the crunch of Ilene’s bones, the moment he left Hyouma behind.
His failures find him in his moment of weakness and pile up on him, refusing to let Ryuu escape the past.
What am I even fighting for?
I thought that this was just how I had to live–fighting for my worth–but does it boil down to how I was raised?
Did the Pit of Keld do this to me?
No, it’s different than that.
There has to be a reason!
……
Ah.
I don’t have one.
A reason.
I thought I changed because I was able to fight for my friends, but that’s only because they’re an extension of myself.
When it came to it, I didn’t hesitate to use the people of Titania to shield my life.
I’ve never had a reason to grow stronger other than my own profit, even regarding Ilene.
How am I any different from the Eternal Order…
A final memory flows through his mind.
The desperation he had felt when he first approached the walls of the capital.
The confusion at his situation after his first night in the castle.
The bond he quickly forged with Ilene, and the pride he felt claiming his victory at the Blade exam.
I guess I’ve had one for a while now…
Ryuu forces himself to his feet, taking in a slow, deep breath and centering his focus.
I’m Ilene Mahora’s Blade.
I promised to lend her my strength and conduct myself in a way that wouldn’t bring her shame.
I thought I already came to this conclusion during that fight in Mahora, but I was being half-assed.
As much of a pain as it is…I must keep my oath!
He steps out of the store and spots Garth holding a man by his neck.
Three bodies litter the ground around him, putting a pit at the bottom of Ryuu’s stomach.
I’ll change to earn the praise of those that have placed their faith in me!
No matter how selfish of a reason it is, it’s my reason to grow stronger!
To fight!
“Let him go! I’m right here, dumbass!”
Garth smirks and breaks the man’s neck, adding a fourth to his pile.
“About time. I was startin’ to think ya high-tailed it outta here.”
“I’m not running anymore. Not from you, at least.”
The two of them step up within inches of each other, Garth looking down at Ryuu.
“Ya must feel real good after watchin’ people die for ya. Too bad you’re stupid. Now they died for nothin’, because you’re next.”
“Yeah, they died meaningless deaths… But to change that, I’m gonna kill you!”
Ryuu throws a jab at Garth’s chin, but the Outlaw catches his wrist and throws him over his shoulder, toward the ground.
The Blade cuts his momentum by casting [Barrier] above his opponent and kicking off of it, then slams a knee into the back of Garth’s head.
Their grip loosens, allowing Ryuu to wind up a heavy {Charge Point} hook and send his opponent crashing down head-first.
Garth’s face smashes into the ground and cracks the stone beneath him.
Ryuu doesn’t let up, immediately casting [Piercing Claws] as the spell now coats both arms, then brings both hands down.
“{Boost}!”
Aura pours out from the Outlaw’s body and sends Ryuu flying across the street.
He flips and lands in a crouch a hundred feet away, then freezes in place as a result of the power emanating from the Eternal Order member.
Meanwhile, Garth pushes himself up with ease, brushing off his leather jacket and turning to the gold-clad warrior.
“How do ya like this move? It’s somethin’ only an Advanced A’yang can pull off. A whelp like you can’t keep up with me now.”
Before Ryuu can fully recover, the man in front of him disappears.
He feels himself become weightless, then the air around him explodes as Garth reenters his sight.
A fist-shaped impression appears on the Blade’s chest, and he coughs out blood while crashing through a fifth-floor window.
“Gkk! Huff, huff, huff!”
Ryuu forces himself to stay conscious with deep breaths.
One of his eyes is blinded by blood streaming from a gash on his head, and his chest feels like it’s been split in two.
Calm down!
Regain focus!
I have to use my Recovery technique!
Wisps of aura concentrate around his chest, alleviating some of the pressure, but a shaking thud breaks his focus.
“We’re not done just yet.”
Garth steps in from the broken wall and waves his hand at Ryuu.
A ball of aura shoots out and bursts right at the injured man’s feet, breaking the floor and sending him down a story.
The Blade lands on his back with a sharp pain, but continues to channel his Recovery technique at full throttle.
As soon as he repairs the worst of the damage, Garth steps through the hole and drops from above.
“Die, tenacious bastard!”
“[Shredding Talons]!”
Ryuu rolls back in a handstand as he kicks with his spell.
Razor-sharp talons tear the front of Garth’s body to ribbons, from his shins to his shoulders.
The Outlaw cries out as he awkwardly lands on the ground, shouting at Ryuu:
“How is this possible?! A weakling like you shouldn’t be able to damage me in this state! Not even with magic!”
Ryuu thinks back to Morrell’s similar comments.
“My Talent is kind of special, apparently.”
“GrrrrAHHH! Cut the bullshit! I’ll slice you apart!”
Garth’s body has already recovered as he disappears, materializing in front of Ryuu with a fist cocked back.
Ryuu instinctively guards by coating his arms with [Piercing Claws] and aura, but the impact shatters his magic as he’s sent skidding backward.
He’s moving faster than sound!
I won’t be able to keep up with only five senses!
“Have ya caught on yet?! The Boost technique is one that pours out the depths of my aura in a constant flow! It burns through fuel like hell, but I get to chain all of my other techniques without the smallest pause in-between!”
The Outlaw grins wider and wider as he watches Ryuu crouch low, then he shoves a palm out again.
A blast of {Charge Burst} careens toward Ryuu, exploding behind him as he leaps to the side.
Just as he jumps out of a fourth-floor window, a cry for help pulls his attention mid-air.
“Please, somebody! My child’s stuck under here!”
He turns his head and finds a woman digging away at a collapsed building.
Ryuu’s eyes narrow as he recognizes it as the one Garth jumped off of before, then takes off toward the woman as soon as he lands.
Garth instantly appears in the middle of the road and scoffs, “No you don’t,” as he backhands the Blade.
The impact sends Ryuu reeling, but he tightens his core and mutters, “[Draconic Presence]”, using the small opening to slip by.
His mental defenses are weak!
This is my only option right now!
Ryuu uses his aura to sense the small life force of the trapped child, digging through the stone with careful swings.
He quickly uncovers them–hidden beneath a miraculous shelf of stone–then returns the young girl to their mother.
“Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t-”
“GO!”
Ryuu pushes off of the ground and clashes with Garth, the two men fist to fist with {Charge Point} colliding between them.
He holds his ground just long enough for the two to escape, then his arm gets blown backward by the force of Garth’s aura.
A heavy boot then finds his ribs and sends him sprawling through an alley.
He crashes into some trash bags, rolling out of them as he thinks of a way to counter.
The desperate Blade soon leaps onto a nearby roof with a flash of aura and decides to navigate closer to the Mystic Palace in an attempt to take the fight away from the citizens.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Blasts of aura rain down around Ryuu, sending shrapnel and chunks of stone flying everywhere he looks.
Garth soars overhead and lands on the next roof while holding both palms out.
Aura begins to gather and swell around him, growing into an over-sized ball.
If that’s what we’re doing…
Ryuu holds his palm out, gripping his wrist to stabilize it.
Mana visibly swirls around him, unlike before when he fried his opponent’s foot.
The natural energy gathers in the center of his hand, expanding and contracting as its power rises.
“{Charge Burst}!”
“[Magic Cannon]!”
The waves of energy meet each other between two rooftops, sending out a massive shock wave that shatters most windows throughout the Entertainment Floor.
Ryuu digs his heels into the roof beneath him as he concentrates on his output.
He continuously takes mana in, filters it, and pours it out, tanking his mental stamina.
Even with all of his effort, Garth’s beam of aura is slowly gaining ground, and will soon make contact.
Shit!
Even with this much energy, I can’t break through!
I’m gonna have to hit him with my Talent, but I’ll barely be able to move after this!
His flow of mana slows, then Ryuu’s sent spiraling back through the air as dense aura slams into him.
Garth immediately clears the distance in one leap, concentrating aura into his fist as he hastily descends.
The Blade forces the gears in his brain to keep spinning as he shouts, “[Barrier]!” and sits upright.
His dragon scale is just strong enough to redirect his opponent’s blow as it connects, causing Garth to land several feet from Ryuu.
“You’re stronger than I thought, but I can’t afford to stick around any longer,” Garth mutters.
“I’ll treat ya to somethin’ special!”
His aura fades away, and is replaced by a surge of blood-red mana.
It swirls around him powerfully enough that it’s visible to Ryuu, even without [Mana Sense].
“You-! You practice both paths?!”
“Hehehe. Ya don’t feel so special now, do ya?”
He folds his fingers together in a strange hand sign and begins to chant, his voice growing deeper with each phrase.
“Infallible blade, severer of flesh, let my will guide you! [Fatal Strike]!”
Ryuu had already used {In-step} to get close while Garth was chanting, but…
SHING!
A gash opens along his torso from shoulder to hip, profusely bleeding as he falls forward.
Splat.
He lies face down while blood pools all around him.
The distant screams of scared citizens and store alarms are drowned out by the rushing of blood leaving his brain.
I guess I was wrong before, Sherry.
I’m not like the dragon from that story… I feel like that damned hero who couldn’t even win three against one…
Garth stands over Ryuu’s motionless body and sighs, using {Recovery} to heal any small wounds he may have missed before.
He then reaches down to pick the man up, but quickly pulls back as a blast of magic flies in the way.
The Outlaw glances over and spots a figure dashing across the air with a loose ponytail waving behind them.
“Hmph, Radiant Blade. I guess that means time’s up. Ya got lucky today, kid.”
He pulls out a strange ball from his belt and smashes it on the ground, disappearing in a flash of dark light.
Mere moments later, Lucian lands on the rooftop and races to Ryuu.
“Dragon Blade, you pushed yourself too far.”
He pulls a small, decorated container out of his pocket and unclasps it, revealing a bright red vial of liquid.
After splashing it over Ryuu’s body and waiting a few seconds, steam begins pouring out of the wounds.
Ryuu feels the pain return twice-over, then hears a voice as he loses consciousness.
“We’ll have to begin your training in earnest.”